Kalaburagi: INDIA bloc protests against SIR, seeks CEC’s removal

Members of the INDIA bloc staged a protest in Kalaburagi on Tuesday (October 13), raising slogans against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the BJP-led Union government over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The protest, organised by the Kalaburagi units of the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India under the banner of India Okkutta (Kalaburagi unit), gathered at Jagat Circle and burnt an effigy of Mr. Kumar, demanding his resignation and a comprehensive inquiry into the alleged misuse of Form-7 applications.

The agitators demanded that the SIR exercise be scrapped, alleging that it threatened the voting rights of eligible citizens.

CPI(M) district secretary K. Neela said the revision exercise had raised serious concerns over the deletion of eligible voters’ names. She said 1,054 Form-7 applications had reportedly been submitted in Kalaburagi district alone and called for an investigation into their submission and the circumstances surrounding them.

Ms. Neela said asking voters whose names had been deleted to apply afresh through Form-6 would not adequately address the issue. She called for corrective measures to ensure transparency in the revision process and prevent eligible citizens from being deprived of their voting rights.

The protesters also raised concerns over the potential impact of the exercise on nearly 13 crore voters across the country, demanding safeguards against arbitrary deletions and the restoration of the January 2025 electoral rolls.

They urged the Election Commission to uphold its constitutional responsibility of ensuring free and fair elections.

District Congress Committee president Kiran Deshmukh accused the BJP-led Union government of curbing democratic dissent by detaining protesters, students and youth organisation leaders in New Delhi.

Describing the situation as an “undeclared Emergency”, he alleged that restrictions on demonstrations reflected the Centre’s intolerance of criticism.

CPI district secretary Mahesh Kumar Rathod said the right to protest against injustice was fundamental to democracy. He alleged that restrictions on protesters in the national capital had created an atmosphere of fear and called upon people to unite in defence of the Constitution and democratic values.

KUDA chairman Mazhar Alam Khan, Congress women unit district president Renuka Singhe, Congress leaders Chandrika Parameshwar, Neelkant Mulge, Shivanand Patil, All India Kisan Sabha leader Moula Mullah, activists Meenakshi Bali and Lavitra Vastrad participated in the protest.